


I lied.

by JoyBooth



Category: Pitch (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-17 05:42:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9307895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoyBooth/pseuds/JoyBooth
Summary: Mike gets a call in the middle of the night. Ginny is a mess. Maybe it's time she knows the truth.





	

One year, two months and seven days after Mike Lawson and the San Diego Padres won the World Series he got a call in the middle of the night. It was the bartender at the teams favorite local bar. 

“Mike?”

“Speaking.”

“Hey it’s Ally from the bar. Ginny’s here. She’s pretty drunk. I would call her a cab, but she isn't exactly cooperating and I can’t get ahold of Blip or Ev. Can you come get her?”

It took him a minute to process. “Uh, yeah, no problem Ally. I will be there as soon as I can, just don’t let her leave until I get there.”

“Of course, see you soon.” 

The drive across town was eerily quiet. Then again, it was one in the morning on a Tuesday in the middle of January. He couldn’t imagine what had led her to her current situation, but he was going to find out. 

She was one of the few people still in the bar. He took the stool beside her. “Hey Rookie, whatcha drinkin to?”

“Lawson?” She asked. He could tell she was having trouble focusing, because she was squinting and blinking far too much.

“Yeah, it’s me. You want to get out of here? Ally wants to go home.”

“You called him?” She asked, glaring at the bartender. 

“Sorry, Gin, but Blip wasn’t answering.” Ally gave a sympathetic smile. 

“Judas,” Ginny grumbled. She pulled some cash out of her hoodie pocket and put it on the bar, before standing and heading to the door. 

“And where do you think you’re going?” Mike asked, following onto the street. 

“I need some fresh air, and a burger.” 

“How about I drive you home and we can stop at in and out on the way?”

“I don’t need you,” she snapped taking off down the sidewalk. 

“I know, but it would make me feel better if I knew you got home safely.”  
“I’m not in the business of granting the great Mike Lawson's wishes anymore.”

“No, apparently, you are in the business of getting drunk alone on weeknights,” he snapped back. 

“Fuck you, Lawson.”

“Just get in the damn car, Baker,” he sighed, the anger melting from him replaced with bone deep exhaustion. Ginny must have noticed, because for once, she did what he said. They drove across town without exchanging a word. He ordered her standard order at in and out as if it hadn’t been a year since the last time they spoke. She didn’t ask how he knew the way to her new house, just sat quietly waiting for the night to be over. 

Her silence unnerved him, so he tried to draw her out. “Is this going to become a thing? Because if I’m going to be getting calls in the middle of the night, I’m going to need to start going to bed earlier.”

“No, can pretty much guarantee you won’t hear from me again.”

“Ginny, you can always call me. I know we haven't seen each other in a while, but I still care about you, and if this… behavior is because of what happened between us, then I think we should try to talk about it. I hate to see you hurting like this.”

“This isn't about you. This is about me. It is about me trying to find a way to move on. Forgive me if I don’t take a page out of your book, and screw half of San Diego just because the love of my life walked out on me.” 

Her barb stung, but he knew he deserved it. “Ginny, please, I only did what was best for you.” 

“Please my ass, you did what was best for you. You strung me along for three years, letting me think we might have a future someday. You made me fall in love with you and then as soon as you got your precious ring, you walked away.” 

He knew that was how it seemed to her, but in truth he was trying to protect her. He had pushed her away, because he knew that he would bring her into his crap if didn’t, but clearly she needed to know the truth. “I lied.” 

“What?”

“On the day we won the World series,” he started, but she quickly waved him off. 

“No, don’t try to…” 

“You asked me if I loved you,”

“I remember,” she spat bitterly.

He pushed forward, knowing that it might be his last chance to tell her. “You asked me if I loved you but I lied to you. I said I didn’t, because I wanted something better for you. You didn’t need a grumpy old man slowing you down.” 

“But that wasn’t your choice to make!” She screamed. “You don’t get to decide my life for me. You don’t get to come back after all this time and just say that to me. I’ve moved on. You’ve moved on. You’re living with a damn model for christ’s sake. So just go back to your perfect life in your prefect house with whatever the hell her name is. I don’t need you.” 

He stared at her for a long moment. Maybe she was right. Maybe their time had passed, but there wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t think of her. He kept trying to put other women in her place, trying to fill the gaping hole in his life where Ginny had been, but no one ever fit. The idea of never seeing her again was physically painful. 

They pulled up in front of her house, and she got out of the car.

“Ginny,” he called, hoping she would listen. 

“Please, just leave already.” 

He could tell by the way her voice cracked that she was fighting back tears, but he couldn’t leave without her knowing. 

“I love you, Ginny Baker.”

“What in the fuck is happening right now?” She asked looking around as if she had dropped into a parallel universe.

“I am completely and utterly in love with you, Ginny, but I know I hurt you. I know you will probably never forgive me, but I need you to know that I will always love you. It is just a physical law of the universe. You own me. So, you can yell at me or you can call me in the middle of the night to come pick you up or you can show up at my house and eat everything in the fridge, but please don’t tell me you will never see me again, because quite frankly my life sucks without you. I live alone, in a big empty house. And there's no one to burn my toast and I don’t get to hear that horsey laugh, and I miss you every damn day.”

To say that she was shocked by the evening turn of events would have been a drastic understatement. Still, as she looked into Mike eyes, she saw the truth. 

“You want to come in and split these fries with me while I watch sports center?”she asked. Mike grinned and followed her into the house. He knew he had a long way to go, to get back into her good graces, but at least he had a chance.


End file.
